Female rhino born in Uganda, first in 30 years

June 8, 2011

A newly-born rhino baby checks out her indoor enclosure in the zoo of Muenster, western Germany in 2009. A rhinoceros in Uganda's only rhino sanctuary has given birth to the first female calf born in the country in three decades, the director of the conservancy said Wednesday.

A rhinoceros in Uganda's only rhino sanctuary has given birth to the first female calf born in the country in three decades, the director of the conservancy said Wednesday.

The calf was born on Saturday weighing some 50 kilogrammes (110 pounds) at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, which aims to reintroduce rhinoceros in Uganda, where they were wiped out in the early 1980s.

"This is the first female born on Ugandan soil for almost 30 years after they were completely decimated back in 1983," said Angie Genade, executive director of the Ziwa Sanctuary, about 180 kilometers north of Kampala.

It brings Uganda's total rhino population to just 13.

"Having a female rhino is of major significance because the more females there are the more rhinos we can breed," Genade said.

She said the baby will be named once a sponsor is found for it.

Uganda's rhinos were hunted to extinction in the early 1980s by poachers and army deserters.

In the past decade white rhinos have been reintroduced to Uganda from countries including neighbouring Kenya and America.

One of the three male calves at Ziwa was baptised Obama after the US President as his father is Kenyan and his mother American.

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